Art and soul: Ottawa Redblacks running back Wayne Moore pushes forward with football

Wayne Moore is a daddy, he’s an artist and he’s also a football player.

All three of them give him plenty of joy.

From Rexdale, a Toronto neighbourhood with a reputation for a high crime rate, Moore says, with plenty of push from his mom Doreen, he made the right choices, while others sometimes went in a different direction.

“It’s like a concrete jungle, but a lot of great things come out of there,” said Moore. “I’ve witnessed some crazy things in Rexdale. But it builds a great base. I was raised in a very grounded family. And, now, with me having a daughter, I’m level headed — I do everything for her.

“My mom kept me straight. I’m an artist, my mom didn’t want me to play football at first. I kept harping on her because football, that’s what I grew up seeing everybody do. When I got my opportunity, she loved the way I was carrying myself and the discipline that came with it. She’s happy with where I’m at now.”

Moore is in a dogfight for a roster spot. There are several other Canadians battling for running back/fullback jobs. But he’s not worried about that, he can’t be. He’s just doing what Wayne Moore can do — in his final year with the McMaster Marauders, he gained 578 yards on 111 carries, scoring three touchdowns. That included a 132-yard performance against the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.

“Coming here to camp and battling, that’s second nature for me,” he said. “It’s football, I’m a competitor. In training camp, there are going to be a lot more guys thast are going to be on the roster. You have to come in with the mentality that you’re going to compete. That’s the way I was raised so that comes natural to me.”

During last Thursday’s pre-season game against Montreal — the team that selected him in the second round of the 2016 CFL Draft — he got the ball four times and looked good running for 29 yards.

“What you saw out there, that was Wayne Moore,” said Moore. “When I got the opportunity, I had to maximize it. You have to be prepared. When the opportunity comes, I know I’ll be prepared for it.”

As for his artistic talents, Moore said: “I always wanted to play football. I felt like I could do art at any point in time. It keeps me even keeled. After I’m on the field grounding and pounding, when I get some spare time I like to do some art and listen to some music to relax and get right. I like realism, some abstract, I like drawing my family.”

And then there’s his daughter Zahriah, who is now two. Said Moore: “She just turned two on the second day of camp. We celebrated before I left. I FaceTime her every day. She’s my world.”

THE INJURY UPDATE: Offensive lineman Jason Lauzon-Seguin was wearing a brace on his right knee standing on the sidelines Tuesday. It’s been suggested he may be sidelined for 6-8 weeks, but Redblacks coach Rick Campbell said: “I don’t know about that report, but I think it’s going to be quicker than that. I’m not saying that he’s not (starting the season) because the medical staff hasn’t told me that, but we’ll see how it goes.” Asked about offensive lineman Nolan MacMillan, who has missed much of the training camp activity, Campbell said: “I think he’s going to be ready (for the start of the regular season). I’m not a doctor, but the plan all along — talking to Nolan and our medical staff — I think he has an excellent chance of being ready.” … Safety Antoine Pruneau didn’t practise Tuesday. Said Campbell: “We’re just making sure he’s fully healthy for Saskatchewan (June 21). He’s going to be fine and he’ll be ready to go for Week 1.”

ALWAYS A GRYPHON: Offensive lineman Andrew Pickett, a third-round draft selection in this year’s CFL Draft, is going home. Thursday’s pre-season game against Toronto in Guelph will be played at Alumni Stadium, where Pickett played many games for the University of Guelph Gryphons. “It’s really cool, it’s a surreal feeling,” said Pickett. “For me, the locker-rooms will bring back some old memories. I’m excited.” Pickett expects there will be plenty of family members on hand watching the game. Talking about his progression from the beginning of training camp, Pickett said: “Every day, you try to get better in some way. From the first day of camp until now, I feel I’ve progressed a lot.”

GETTING A LAST LOOK: Thursday’s game will be the last time to evaluate players before weekend roster cutdowns. Said Campbell: “We have to really make sure we give the new guys a lot of playing time. We don’t want to miss out on anybody, we want to make sure we give everybody a fair look. Most of the team will be going, but we are going to make an emphasis on making sure we see some of the newer guys. (QB) Trevor (Harris) is not playing, I know that, and I would say 99 per cent (receiver) Brad (Sinopoli) is not. If anybody’s healthy and able to play, I anticipate them going.”

THE END AROUND: The Redblacks have released receiver Richard Mullaney (Alabama) and defensive back Keith Sanscartier (Sherbrooke). Both players had been injured through much of camp … Former Redblacks kicker Zack Medeiros was among the players released by Montreal on Tuesday … As part of the CFL’s Thursday Night Football concert series, local artists Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine will play during the Redblacks June 21 season-opener vs. the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The dynamic duo, winners of CTV’s The Launch, met at Algonquin College … Don’t forget about the Redblacks QB Club June 13, 6-8 p.m., at Casino Lac Leamy’s Bar 7. Guests will be GM Marcel Desjardins and coach Rick Campbell … Who is the CFL’s best playmaker? CFL.ca asked several top players around the league and many said it was electric Redblacks receiver Diontae Spencer.

BIG BOYS BATTLE FOR ROSTER SPOTS ON DEFENSIVE LINE

If there was one question mark for the Ottawa Redblacks coming into training camp, it was defensive line.

The defensive end positions — anchored by A.C. Leonard and Jonathan Newsome — looked solid enough, but the great unknown was defensive tackle, especially given the free-agent departure of steady Zack Evans.

But some of the concerns have been alleviated in camp with some promising performances from second-year lineman Michael Wakefield, Canadians Daryl Waud and Michael Klassen and impressive newcomers such as Harold Brantley and George Uko.

“I’m impressed with the level of football IQ and understanding of the game that these guys bring,” said Redblacks defensive line coach Leroy Blugh. “(The defensive line position) might be a strength. The quality of the D tackles, the international guys, that we have — frankly, their arrow has been going up every day. The D ends we have are playing fast, learning and getting better. The system here puts them in good places to take advantage of their athletic ability.

“There are some tough decisions to make, but we’re in a great spot. Hopefully this (final pre-season) game (Thursday in Guelph against the Toronto Argos) helps give us some clarity on making good sound decisions.”

“It’s been a good surprise in that they’ve been very active and tough to block,” said Redblacks coach Rick Campbell. “We need to see a bunch of those new guys, we’ll give them a lot of playing time in this next game so we have two games worth of film to watch. I think there will be some guys definitely who can help us.”

Both Klassen and Waud have looked good in camp and, if needed, could step in as starters.

“We have the four Americans and the two Canadians and they’re all going really well,” said Campbell. “We’re going to have to figure out a rotation for Thursday night so we get them an equal number of snaps. That’s a wide-open competition right now.”

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